Tuesday, 21 July 2015

Dining at Michelin-Starred Galvin La Chapelle.

One of the things I miss most about being in a relationship is the excuses you have for going out for dinner. Birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations, and even just for the hell of it. When I was last in a serious relationship my boyfriend and I both gained a heap of weight because we used to go out for dinner all the time. Literally all the time, as in 2-3 times a week, sometimes more. I still go out for dinner a lot since being single, but I don't feel as though I can go 'all out', there's something special about going for a fancy dinner and just getting all the food with someone you love.

So now I tend to go for set menus, I don't know why but I just feel like a super fancy expensive meal costing £100+ at a Michelin starred restaurant should be saved for a special occasion with 'that person'. However set menus allow me to eat there and treat myself but not feel like I'm blowing a load of money on a meal with a friend just for the hell of it. Still with me?

Ok I'm rambling now, sorry. So Jemima and I are both single but love good food, and both of us have agreed that we really miss being taken out for dinner or whisked away for a weekend break. So we thought we'd check out a restaurant we've both wanted to eat at for a while; Galvin La Chapelle. I've eaten at Galvin at Windows before with my mum and I wasn't a huge fan, I was really disappointed with the food there, but a friend told me that La Chapelle might be more my thing. And it was. Oh my it was.

After a stressful ten minutes when Google maps failed to work and I got lost near Liverpool Street station, I ran into my friend Trent who I have literally never been so happy to see. I was close to tears from annoyance at my phone and quite literally ran into his arms and wouldn't let go - I held him so tight he laughed and said 'well this is a very nice surprise!'. He thought it was hilarious that I was so worked up about not knowing where I was, and after a quick chat he showed me where to go.

I arrived and was absolutely blown away by the beauty of the restaurant, which is in a former Victorian chapel with huge vaulted ceilings. The restaurant is very open, and very glamorous, but with a touch of trendiness. Jemima was already sat down at our table, so I explained my issue with getting lost and we ordered champagne to de-stress.

The Menu du Chef at Galvin La Chapelle is only £29 for three courses, which for a Michelin starred restaurant is amazing value. Often I worry that the set menu dishes aren't as good as the A La Carte, however here this definitely wasn't the case. Our entire meal from start-to-finish was perfect.

While perusing the menu we were offered three different types of bread. I went for a slice of the white and coated it in butter. I'm such a bread lover but don't eat it very often, I tend to only have it when I'm at a restaurant, so at La Chapelle I made the most of the fresh bread and had three slices :| *ahem*.

For starters I wanted something light so opted for the Charentais melon, Bayonne ham & Arbequina olive oil. I was worried that it might be old-fashioned melon balls, but I needn't have worried as the dish was exactly what I wanted. Fresh and light and full of flavour from the combination of the melon and ham, the ideal way to start a meal.

Jemima is a veggie so had the Chargrilled mackerel, pickled gooseberries & dill crème fraîche, and said it was just perfect.

For mains I went for something heavier; the Suffolk confit lamb belly, Summer green vegetables & lamb jus. Oh my gosh. The meat of the lamb was so tender, it was easy to separate from the fat, and it was so tasty and full of flavour. It also felt really healthy with all of the summer green veggies.

Jemima had the Risotto of wild mushroom, pied bleu & grated hazelnuts. I find that often restaurants don't get risotto right, but Jemima said this one was delicious.

Dessert really was the pièce de résistance, I went for the White peach financier & elderflower, while Jemima had an off-menu item, the dessert special of the day which was a Dark Chocolate tarte with raspberry sorbet. My dessert was incredible, very light and the perfect way to finish such a fantastic meal. Jemima's dessert however was pure indulgence, I tried a bit and it was incredibly rich, so rich she couldn't finish it all.

There's no doubt about it that La Chapelle is a very special place, and I can't stop raving about it to everyone who asks me which restaurant they should go to. The portion sizes were quite large and really rather generous, and despite choosing somewhat 'lighter' options, I left feeling incredibly full. The only qualm I had is that we didn't get any petit fours, while we saw lots of other people getting them. I'm not sure if you get them with the set menu though? And I guess in hindsight, we didn't exactly need anymore food!

Anyway, it was also really nice to go to a Michelin starred restaurant that didn't feel 'couple-y', it was full of big groups of families, friends, and work colleagues, with only the odd couple dotted around. I will definitely be back!

Eh, you don't need to be in a relationship to splash out and treat yourself - your own fabulous self is all the reason you need! If you ever need a luxury buddy for days when you wanna destress like an empress, holla, call me maybe ;)

It looks wonderful - was it a lunch set menu? There's such great deals at really amazing restaurants for lunch, but I'm always at work so miss them! Also, you soooo don't need to be in a relationship to treat yourself! Go for it, and enjoy :)

Ahhh I am SO pleased you had such a good experience! I don't know if you read my post but I went for my birthday and couldn't get over how amazing a place it is! Everything was so amazing right!?! Lots of love, Andrea xxx

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